Superfood Smoothies

Anyone starting a fitness program should include and drink a superfood smoothie. Are you prepping or starting a demanding physical effort? If you are, continue reading to find other benefits and read my short but painful story.

Getting nutrient rich superfood smoothies in your diet plan is vital. These varied smoothie recipes (shown below) will also come in handy when it comes to ingesting multiple amino-acids and other nutrients.

In this post, we run through both fruit and veggie smoothie recipe’s numerous health benefits, but also the seasonal fruits and spices to boost metabolism.

Before we continue I’d like share my recent experience. For a day or two, I thought I had Covid. But, in the end I was wrong.

I was just suffering badly from lack of zinc and potassium, vitamin K, A, E. Just to tell you, I’d wake up during the night with tingling pains and my leg muscles and knees hurt.

Did you ever feel that?

Read on as you soon discover the reasons on my pains. This can drive you nuts!

Consult expert nutritionist if you have tingling pains

After asking a friend nutritionist, she quickly explained that the best way to fix this was to eat more fruits along with veggies. In particular these: one avocado, bananas and spinach and that alone would add 35% of my daily Potassium intake.

That’s enough about me.

Many people love smoothies to the point that they enjoy this beverage almost every day. The good news is, you can always mix your own varieties, so your smoothie remains fun, tasty and full of health benefits.

Without losing anytime at all, you can become healthier at the same time. Smoothies can be the ultimate addition or a full meal, if you include as many vitamins as possible in one glass. You can jam-pack all the nutrition and still have a great taste.

Preparing it is very easy and only takes a couple of minutes, so you can enjoy endless options where you can throw in a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins as well as some proteins.

Healthy superfood smoothies recipes to jumpstart your day

A green smoothie every morning keeps the doctor away. Whether you are craving something, there is always a healthier way to fill your cravings. Either way, the aim is, making a rich homemade smoothie rich in nutrients, proteins, magnesium and antioxidants accompanied by superfoods.

Here (below) are some superfood smoothie recipes that contain astonishing health benefits. These can be made regularly to help avoid fatigue or joint-inflammations.

The list also tells you which best superfoods you can add to your smoothie recipe. Select your favourite healthy ingredients in your recipes to make your shakes more enjoyable.

Leafy greens/vegetables

By now you must know that eating green leafy and /or a seasonal variety of fresh vegetables is the best things you can do to protect your immune system. Produce like spinach and kale in your smoothie add a lot of healthy nutrients.

Even when you eat plant based meals, adding a handful of healthy leafy greens in your smoothie can be a great way to supplement and/or increase your vitamins and minerals daily intake.

Even better, if you are struggling with picky food eaters during meals, it is easy to disguise those greens, especially after blending them with other superfoods. Below is one of green superfood smoothy recipes to add leafy vegetables to your daily diet.

Kale pineapple smoothie bowl

For those who love pineapples, just add handful of greens in your blender, then three of four slice of the pineapple fruit, few kale leaves to the mix and blend them to make a perfect booster smoothie.

The good news – you might be surprised that you will rarely notice traces of kales in your smoothie vegetables.

Chocolate /Cocoa banana maca powder

A lot of people like the taste of chocolate in their superfood smoothies. Luckily, mixing raw cacao and maca powder with banana plus fresh fruits gives a super tasty flavour. Besides, unsweetened cacao powder contains high amounts of antioxidants and is a great source of fibre.

Here is one of the many chocolate superfood charmer recipes (below).

Chocolate smoothie

This chocolate based smoothie recipe (superfood) is easily made by blending a mixture of pear, dates, Maca powder, roasted hazelnuts and cocoa powder. For Nutella lovers, this one of many charmer recipes is a must-try since it is delicious and has amazing health benefits.

What are the healthiest ingredients to add to your smoothie?

Fruit and Vegetables

I have been reading, listening to podcasts a lot but also asked our dietitian (Louise) about what are the best superfood ingredients to mix in and here is the result of my enquiries.

Vegetables that are generally sweet in nature are the best superfoods to incorporate in your shake. In our opinion, the best vegetables for your smoothie are the ones currently in season as they are naturally fresh with staggering taste, and easy to get.

The tasty super smoothies are made from carrots, beets, pumpkin, cucumbers which are in season til the end of summer. You can and must add your favourite veggies in your charmer recipes and take it to refuel an hour before a workout session.

Here are some great vegan superfood smoothies such as mango and banana – all naturally sweetened and great for breakfast.

Banana free carrot cake smoothie

You can make a yummy shake with a simple banana-free carrot cake. This recipe will only take you few minutes and the taste is amazing.

Beet multi-coloured or prickly pear smoothie

You can include beets in your shake to make it even more nutritional. Here is a little secret for you. Beets pair well with banana and/or strawberries. Both scoring high in betalains and other compounds they have been recognised to protect against oxidative stress and helps detox your liver. They go well with almost any fruit you happen to have on your basket.

Related article: Betalains: natural plant pigments

Watermelon cucumber with mint smoothie

Blend your cucumber and watermelon to make a tasty mixture. Fresh it up with a minty flavour by adding some mint leaves to your mixture. This delicious combination leaves you refreshed.

Nuts, nut milks and nut butter

Raw unsalted nuts like walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds and cashews are a simple way of including Omega-3 and healthy protein in your smoothie. They are also healthy fats, so you will be adding these sound fats to your diet. If you want to go the vegan way, you can use nut milk to make your shake. While some prefer unsweetened almond milk, you can always opt for your favorite plant-based milk.

Below is an example of a nutty shake.

Peanut butter Apple Kale/spinach shake

This superfood shake made of apple, pineapple, goes well with all sorts of kale and peanut butter, so you can imagine the amount of nutritional value that comes with it. Spinach works well too. You get some veggies and soluble fats all at once.

Seasonal fruits & spices

Fruits are greatly associated with smoothies. In fact, it is like they are meant to do that. They contain a sweetening agent, which is ideal for making superfood smoothies. Just play around with your favourite fruit combination and add-in some green to come up with a delicious homemade thick smoothie. Here is a good example of one.

Peach mango smoothie

Peach and mango mix perfectly to give you a tasty shake. If you love these two fruits, you should try blending them together to come up with a tasty drink.

Vegan banana blueberries (superpower) smoothie

This smoothie can be taken for breakfast to rejuvenate you for a busy day. You can also treat yourself to a vegan banana shake as your dessert. Try a few variations. Besides, it is among the easiest recipes.

Spices

Those who love their smoothies a little spicy can add spices like cardamom and cinnamon.

These spices are nourishing smoothie additions and easily update your shake to a nice dessert. If you go for that extra, you may want to consider adding cayenne pepper, as it is excellent for boosting metabolism and reducing pain.

Hint: Turmeric and fresh ginger are other beneficial spices as they have powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Other amazing superfoods

While making a list of nourishing inclusions in your smoothie, flax, chia seeds, maca and hemp should be on your list. Chia seeds are among the healthiest superfoods containing carbohydrates, fibre, calcium, antioxidants, protein and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Note that chia seeds, hemp seeds contain high amounts of soluble fibre, proteins and soluble fats. To make even better, these surprising seeds don’t have such a noticeable taste, so you can include a spoonful of each in your shake and enjoy the benefits.

Tips for a good anytime superfood smoothie

You may feel like preparing a smoothie is a lot of work, especially if you are working under a tight schedule. Even more, your favourite veggies may be out of stock during off peaks giving you excuses to avoid taking healthy superfood smoothies. However, these challenges have solutions, so they should not be why you are lagging in your fitness program.

Here are two tips to help you overcome these challenges.

Freeze your fruits when they are in season: Your favourite fruits will not be in season the whole year. So, think of freezing a good amount when they are at their peak in freezer bags and enjoy even during their off-peak. Frozen fruits are a rescue for you when there are none left in the market. You can also use frozen vegetables to make a powerful shake.

Is it healthy to drink smoothies every single day of the week?

Yes, you can as long as you combine fruits, and at least two veggies with water. Meal prep your smoothies and store them well: Having a busy schedule should not hinder you from living healthy and enjoying a cup of your freshly made shake.

Meal prep your superfood smoothie on weekends by distributing your favourite ingredients in reusable bags to save time on weekdays when you have a super busy agenda.

Final word

Smoothies come in handy if you are serious about a healthy lifestyle like I do. Even if you doubt for a second, try by yourself during 15 days and see the difference. You can take a cup of nourishing superfood smoothies just before you exercise to refuel. For breakfast, to rejuvenate you as you start your day or as simply as a dessert.

From fresh or frozen vegetables, spices and nuts, you can incorporate any nourishing ingredient in your shake. However, keep in mind that smoothies alone can sometimes deliver low calories and protein hence would not be sufficient as a full meal.

Mix your superfood shake daily along with other meals and powerful food stuffs to stay healthy to feel the benefits.

Since smoothies disguise the taste of other ingredients, you can take advantage of this and include those leafy vegetables like which are not so pleasing when taken alone. Besides, smoothies are great for both adults, teens and toddlers.

I also love and would recommend avocados too, as they provide excellent vital oils. "Avocados are very high in omega 3 fatty acids, the good kind of fat, in the form of alpha-linolenic acid." 

said San Diego-based nutritionist Laura Flores. It contains a mix of saturated fat and about 13% is polyunsaturated fat. Source: https://www.livescience.com/45209-avocado-nutrition-facts.html

I think you’ve got enough info for now, just go pick your powerful ingredients and quickly combine in your recipes to make that delicious drink.

Enjoy and let us know which ones you prefer. You could even tag us on Instagram with your smothiecreation.